Within the Whirlwind

This is rather strange...how can it be possible: just one review!!! A great story about those who made it. Even so, it's still sad, very sad,in fact one of the saddest stories.

E. Watson gave a great performance(as usual), both the directing and script were excellent. If there will ever be a Russian version of this film, I would go and see it for sure. The story has some amazing emotion high picks, and I must say, after watching something like that, similar to other great dramas, you feel relieved and lucky to be living in another era with all it's awfulness. You should watch it...it could make you better.

Seldom in the history of cinema has a man or woman stepped before the cameras and stunned an audience senseless with a performance so powerful as that given by Ms. Emily Watson. The story is itself overwhelmingly moving and this is the only actor one can imagine taking on such a role and being more than equal to the challenge. Watson conveys the incredible suffering, resilience, and will to survive of the character she portrays with unflinching realism, heart, and soul. This is a characterization that will stay with those who view it forever. It is unfortunate this motion picture has not seen wide release and its fate is questionable because within it lives a towering performance by the finest artist of our time. Emily Watson will fill your eyes to tears, tear your emotions to shreds, and shatter your heart as she once again conquers the cinema screen as no one else can. It is an indescribably beautiful creative masterwork and anyone who sees it can not help be changed in a way that will renew their spirit of humanity for all time. It is difficult to remember any acting experience that has touched the audience so completely and so very deeply. Emily Watson once again achieves what no other actor is capable of, something almost mystical in nature, something beyond words, and impossible to describe for it is so spiritually astounding.

This movie enthralled me from the beginning. The acting, across the board, is top- notch. Look for Ian Hart as a very different character than he played in the first Harry Potter movie (Professor Quirrell). I can't say enough about the lead characters. If you like learning about history, even the ugly parts, then see this movie. By the way, it is in English.

For anyone interested in Communist Russia / Solzhenitsyn's literature, a must-see. Gripping, depressing, passionate, and intense.

It's only recently through films like Within the Whirlwind that I've come to understand how Stalin and Hitler were two sides of the same coin. While Hitler's torturous siege of Europe was destroying millions of lives, Stalin was doing the same in Russia and its soviet countries. Within the Whirlwind is a portrayal of one woman's experience of being scapegoated and punished for alleged "crimes" she didn't do. Watching the Russian party bosses attempt to destroy Genia Ginzburg's sanity and ultimately her life, one gains insight into what millions of Eastern Europeans and Russians, who weren't brought to German concentration camps, were stuck in the Russian equivalent. Ginzburg's story, which includes despair ultimately challenged by love, is compelling and uplifting. Emily Watson's portrayal of Ginsburg is brilliant. Overall, an important film to see.